


Part 14: Quinn

by oiuytrewq36



Series: Straight to Number One [2]
Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:54:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26062240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oiuytrewq36/pseuds/oiuytrewq36
Summary: I cover the mouthpiece and swivel my chair around to face my husband, who is folding socks and bopping his head to something with a heavy beat I can hear leaking out of his headphones. “Hey.”He doesn’t respond. I throw a pad of Post-Its at him.He looks up. “You could just walk over here and tap me on the shoulder like a normal person,” he says, putting the headphones around his neck.“Can’t be bothered,” I say, grinning. “Also, if I ever turn into a normal person, please have me committed.”
Series: Straight to Number One [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891456
Comments: 10
Kudos: 36





	Part 14: Quinn

**Author's Note:**

> been a while since I’ve written anyone new, so it’s time to meet Frances and Justin’s cool ex-neighbors who I never managed to fit in to the first series.

Frances calls while I’m stuck on a bitch of a test on a client’s new system. I pick up immediately, both because the code on my screen is getting less coherent the longer I look at it and because as nerdy goth white girls go, you can’t do better than Frances, and we haven’t been able to talk as much as we used to since she moved out of the unit next door.

“Just so you know, you’re saving me from the most frustrating project on the planet.”

She laughs. “Good to know I can check off my good deed for the day. How’s everything going?”

“Honestly? Great. My annoying neighbor who used to blast hard rock past midnight is gone, so I’m sleeping better than ever.”

“You can’t see me, but I want you to know that I’ve just put the phone on speaker for the purpose of giving you the bird. With both hands. Also, you were the one who started the late-night music battles.”

“Yeah, but my music is actually good.”

I can almost hear her rolling her eyes. “Sure, whatever you say.”

“So what’s up?”

“Do you remember Justin’s boyfriend?”

“The tall hot one with no manners?”

“Yep.”

“What about him?”

“Well, I’ve just started working for his ad agency-”

“You finally left that miserable job? Thank God.”

She laughs again. “I’ll second that. Anyway, there’s a client coming for a meeting on Monday and Brian wants to have the first round of campaign photos ready before then, but our freelance photographer just got salmonella. The New York side of the company is tiny right now, basically just me and him, and I was wondering if Sam might want to take the job instead.”

“One sec, he’s here right now. I’ll ask him.”

I cover the mouthpiece and swivel my chair around to face my husband, who is folding socks and bopping his head to something with a heavy beat I can hear leaking out of his headphones. “Hey.”

He doesn’t respond, so I throw a pad of Post-Its at him.

He looks up. “You could just walk over here and tap me on the shoulder like a normal person,” he says, putting the headphones around his neck.

“Can’t be bothered,” I say, grinning. “Also, if I ever turn into a normal person, please have me committed.”

He snorts. “Deal. So are you practicing for an office-supplies-throwing contest, or do you need something?”

“Frances has a new job at the ad agency that Justin’s boyfriend runs-”

“The tall hot one with no manners?”

“That’s the guy. She says he needs a photographer last-minute for a shoot - the New York operation is tiny, apparently, and they don’t have an art staff yet - and she was wondering if you’d want the gig.”

He digs his beat-up date book out of the side of the couch and flips through it. “I should be free. Have her email me the details and I’ll take a look.”

***

Sam gets back around six. I turn away from my computer (still haven’t figured out the fucking test) and watch him unload his camera stuff.

“How was the job?”

“Really good, actually. The concept was interesting, and Brian pretty much just let me do my own thing as long as I stayed within some basic parameters.”

He takes a six-pack out of his backpack. “Also, the pay was great for a one-day job, so I picked up some of that pretentious beer you like on the way home.”

Now that’s something that I’ll get out of my chair for. I kiss him. “I’ve just remembered why I married you.”

He smiles and hands me a bottle. “Want to order takeout from the Turkish place on 6th?”

“I’ll call it in.”

I’ve just found the right menu when there’s a knock on the door. I walk over and open it to see Brian standing in the hallway.

“Um-”

“Quinn, right? Is Sam here?”

I open the door wider to let him in. “Yeah, did he forget something?”

“Not exactly.” He walks into the apartment, looking more than a little out of place in what I’m assuming is a designer coat among our decor, most of which is left over from our student life, Sam’s string lights and photo prints, my Bomba Estéreo posters and nonbinary pride flag.

Sam stands up. “What’s going on?”

Brian opens the briefcase he’s holding and takes out a folder. “The first set of prints from the shoot you did today just came out.”

Sam tilts his head, the way he does when he’s nervous and trying not to show it. “Did they turn out okay?”

Brian opens the folder and takes out a few prints. “They’re fucking _great_ , much better than most of the stuff any of the freelancers we’ve hired here have been able to do.”

“Oh. So-”

“I’d like to offer you a job,” Brian says. “Art director for the New York office.”

Sam stares at him. “You’d- what?”

“It’d be probationary for three months; we do that with all new managers who haven’t previously been on staff.”

“I probably shouldn’t ask this, but do you really want to hire me based on one day of work?”

Brian laughs, which makes him look a little less scary. “Yes. Really. You’re talented, creative, and easy to work with, which is more than I can say for any of the other candidates I’ve seen so far. Also, you have a great eye for detail.”

This is _so_ not the time, but I can’t hold back a snicker, and Sam joins in. We’re like that.

Brian raises an eyebrow.

“What-“

Sam grins and looks at me. “Inside joke. They’re laughing because- well, I do have _a_ great eye, as in one. I only shoot with my right, the left one’s prosthetic.”

Brian nods very slowly. “Huh. Well, my left ball’s fake, so I guess we have something in common.”

He gathers up the photos and puts the folder back into his briefcase, then drops a business card on the counter. “Call me tomorrow and tell me what you decide. I’ll have my assistant send you the details about benefits and salary tonight.”

With that, he picks up the briefcase and sweeps out of the apartment.

The door closes and Sam and I look at each other for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“He’s certainly efficient with his time,” I say.

“No kidding,” he says. 

I pick up the menu again. “So, what do you want for dinner?”


End file.
